Submersible sea train



H. M. coMBs 3,478,711

suBMERsIBLE SEA TRAIN 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Attorney Nov. 18, 1969 Filed July 30, 1968 Nov. 18, 1969 H. M. coMBs SUBMERSIBLE SEA TRAIN 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 30, 1968 INVENTOR.

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Filed July 30, 1968 INVENTOR Herbert M. Combs Attorney United States Patent O 3,478,711 SUBMERSIBLE SEA TRAIN Herbert M. Combs, 540 De Armond Place, Santa Maria, Calif. 93454 Filed July 30, 1968, Ser. No. 748,832 Int. Cl. B63b 3/13; B63g 8/22 U.S. Cl. 114-16 5 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION A well known fact among engineers is that no two non-compressible objects can occupy the same place at the same time. Taking cognizance of this fact, it becomes obvious that the great obstacle to the rapid movement of any vessel or object through water is the displacing or removing of the necessary water to permit the object or vessel to pass. Note the very small resistance offered to a common sewing needle dropped point first into a barrel of water. Research and study of the fastest swimming fish revealed one striking design feature in common: a long needle nose. The Swordfish has been clocked at 71 miles per hour; the sailsh at 70 miles per hour; and the marlin at 60 miles per hour. Although the barracuda with its long sleek body had a top speed considerably above other lish, it did not approximate these three.

The advantages of submersible or submarine cargo vessels from the standpoint of greater hydrodynamic eflciency and greater safety during war time conditions has been realized for some time. The use of self-propelled vessels of this type has been curtailed by limitations in overall size and further by the amount of space available for cargo after providing for propelling machinery, crews, etc. Use of towed vessels of this type besides the size limitation presents the problem of maintaining proper buoyancy and hence submergence under varying conditions of sea, speed, and cargo sizes. The use of a number of vessels coupled together to overcome the size limitations and provide greater exibility has not been heretofore feasible because of the mechanical problems of coupling and uncoupling such units, aggravated by the increased problem of maintaining proper relative buoyancy and reducing the water drag due to absence of streamlining between adjacent units.

The problem was partly solved by my invention covered by Patent No. 2,727,485, to which further reference will be made herein.

It is therefore a general object of my invention to provide a submersible cargo vessel or vessels which will have relatively few limitations as to size and number of vessels.

It is another object of my invention to provide a submersible cargo vessel which will have automatic means of maintaining proper relative buoyancy and submergence.

It is a more specific object of my invention to provide a submersible cargo vessel or vessels comprising a series of units coupled together in the form of a train.

It is still another more specific object of my invention to provide a satisfactory means of readily coupling and uncoupling units of such atrain.

Finally it is an object of my invention to reduce water resistance to a minimum by providing a maximum of streamlining of individual units, as well as overall.

SUMMARY The sea train is a new revolutionary means of transportation across waterways. It follows the pattern of the railroad train in that it is made up of a great number of units connected in tandem and pulled by an engine or tractor unit at the bow. It differs from the railroad train in that it floats instead of having wheels rolling upon rails.

Each unit is cylindrical in shape and has a connecting means Which gives it a universal tilting movement, permitting each unit to tilt in any given direction relative to the adjacent unit. Rigidly attached to the rear end of each unit is a cylindrical, flexible collar or sleeve on which inner surface are a number of stiffening ribs which taper backward until they blend in with the thin rear edge of the collar. The rear inner surface of the collar has a slid- 'ing engagement with the front end of the following section which itself is somewhat rounded on the front end to permit the collar to remain undistorted as the angle of the adjacent units differ. This arrangement enhances the overall streamlined eiect and consequently the efficiency of my invention described more particularly in my PatentNo, 2,727,485 mentioned above.

Each unit is watertight except when in port loading and unloading. An automatic mechanism or a remote electrical control at the bow or stern end of the sea train controls the water entering or being expelled from the ballast tanks of one or more units until the desired buoyancy is attained. When underway across a body of water, the sea train will be floating by approximately one to three percent of its volume, but not limited as a buoyancy or displacement, whereas when approaching a harbor the ballast tanks may be pumped up to establish a iioat of 20 to 30 percent. The floor on the inside of each unit is covered by a layer of concrete to provide ballast and stability.

The coupling means between the units which comprise an important part of my invention, comprises a spherical ball aiiixed to a concentric bar which in turn is positioned at the stern end of each unit and an automatically closing jaw type clamp afxed to a bar which rides in pivot bearings at the bow end of each unit. This combination permits the two coupled units to articulate in a horizontal plane and to move relative to one another in a vertical plane. The latter movement is controlled by a novel hydraulic system which responds to movements of the tow bar in a vertical plane and in turn energizes the circuit which supplies the ballast tank pumps. In this manner excessive vertical movement of adjacent units is prevented and stability of the entire train assured.

Fore and aft trim of individual units is controlled by a fore and aft trim pump which shifts water from forward to after ballast tanks and vice-versa as needed in response to mercury level control switches.

An auxiliary air supply and venting system insures proper operation of the ballast tanks -as these are being pumped or emptied of ballast in response to the operation of the control system mentioned above.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a schematic longitudinal view of the train of my invention showing the cargo and traction units and method of coupling, with partial cut-aways.

FIG. 2 is a cross-section through the forward end of one of the units along line 2-2 showing the general schematic arrangement and relative location of the principal pieces of ballast control equipment.

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal section through a pair of tow bars showing partially schematically their method of operation.

FIG. 3a is a side elevation of the locking yoke of FIG. 3.

FIG. 4 is a partial section of a forward bulkhead along the line 4 4 of FIG. 3 showing the method of pivoting and water sealing the forward tow bar.

DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to the figures 4and particulary rst to FIG. l, there are seen the cargo units 1 of my vessel. These are coupled together and in turn coupled to the forward traction unit 1a and the after traction unit 1b. The latter two units are similar to those described in my Patent No. 2,727,485 and the method of propulsion may be any conventional type and will not ybe described in any detail since it forms as such no important part of the invention. It should be noted that these latter units are of needle nose construction for the reasons previously pointed out and are equipped with propulsion or retarding units 1c and adjustable diving plane 1d. The latter may be manually or automatically controlled yand in general perform the same function as do the planes of conventional submarines.

Each unit is equipped with a pressure hull 2 which is of cylindrical construction and bilge keels 2a, the latter to provide stability. Each pressure hull is equipped with an after end 3 and a lforward end 4. Each forward end is equipped with a special flexible water seal 4a, shown for fully on FIG. 4 and described in greater detail below. A pressure tight hatch 6 may be of more or less conventional design to provide access and egress from the unit and is constructed to provide a Iminimum of obstruction to the movement of the vessel when submerged.

On each after end wall there is xedly positioned a concentric tow bar 7 which has a spherically shaped end 7a. Each forward end wall is equipped with a forward tow bar 8 disposed for rotation in a vertical plane around pivots 8a which will also be described in greater detail below.

Referring now to FIG. 2 as well as FIG. 1, there is seen a concrete ballast 9 positioned in the bottom of each unit to insure greater stability, particularly when the unit is empty of cargo. Adjoining each unit there is the connecting collar or sleeve 10 more fully described in my Patent No. 2,727,485. This will not be described in great detail here except to point out that the forward end of the sleeve is xedly positioned on the after end of each unit and overlaps the outside periphery of the forward end of the succeeding unit, thus preserving the streamlining or protection against resistance to the movement through the water while permitting the relative vertical or horizontal movement between successive units.

Each unit is equipped with port ballast tanks 11a and starboard ballast tanks 11b, somewhat after the manner of conventional submarines. These ballast tanks communicate with the exterior or the sea through port ballast control pump 12a and starboard ballast control pump 12b respectively. These pumps are ofthe positive displacement type and are disposed to operate in either direction of rotation by means of port ballast pump motor 13a `and starboard ballast pump motor 13b. In this manner these pumps may be used either to pump ballast into or out of the tanks as needed in the operation. Equalizer line 14 running port to starboard between the ballast tanks serves to insure the level in both tanks to be substantially equal at all times.

Port lair banks 15a -and starboard air banks 15b comprise a series of bottles of compressed air manifolded together and supported in the interior in any convenient manner, as is done in conventional submarines. The air banks are equipped with automatic air outlet valves 16a and 16b arranged to supply air to the interior of the vessel at a predetermined rate and pressure in order to maintain the pressure of the atmosphere within the unit to be 4 substantially constant and permit proper functioning qf the ballast control. This is further facilitated by port inboard ballast vents 17a and starboard inboard ballast vents 17b which permit communication between the interior or cargo space and the air space above the ballast water as shown. An outboard vent 18, which is of a check valve type, permits the blowing of air to the outer atmosphere when the pressure becomes excessive on the interior. A 'high level extension of vent 18 is seen at 18a which permits proper operation of this vent when the vessel is entirely submerged. A port ballast tank float switch 19a and a starboard tank iloat switch 19b serve to prevent excessive Water level in these ballast tanks. These are connected to the circuit supplying input to ballast pump motors 13a and 13b and interlocked with the other control equipment described below in a conventional manner and will not be described in greater detail here.

It is evident that single units of all of the above components would be suicient for proper operation, but I provide these in duplicate for safety reasons to insure proper operation of the vessel in the event of failure of one of the components.

Referring now more particularly to FIG. 3, there is seen first the carriage end 31 of tow bar 8 on which are positioned rollers 32 which ride on rails 33 equipped with limit stops 34. There is also seen the funnel end 37 of tow bar 8. The latter performs the multiple functions of guiding ball end of after tow bar 7a into proper position for coupling of the units and for supporting the gripping jaws 39. The latter are supported on the funnel end 37 by means of pins 40 and are equipped with lever ends 41. Actuating rod 42 is positioned concentric with tow bar 8 Iand in sliding relation thereto. Actuating 4rod 42 is equipped with a bumper end 43 disposed to make contact with ball end 7a and with control end `44 located in a cavity inside tow bar 8 as shown. Slot 45 ain `actuating rod 42 is disposed to engage gripping jaw levers 41 of gripping jaws 39. Slot 46 at the control end of actuating rod 42 is disposed to receive locking yoke 48. Control end 44 is further disposed to operate limit switch 47.

Locking yoke 48 is better seen on FIG. 3a and is equipped with a rack 49 and a pinion 50 which is driven by motor 51 positioned on the top of tow bar 8.

The operation of the locking features of my tow bars should now be evident to those skilled in the art. When the units are in an uncoupled position, gripping jaws 39 are wide open and actuating rod 42 is in a position to the far right in FIG. 3. As one of the units 1 of FIG. 1 is maneuvered into position for coupling with an adjacent unit, ball end 7a is guided by funnel end 37 so that it strikes bumper end `43. This causes actuating rod 42 to move to the left, thereby closing jaws 39 and clamping them around ball 7a. At the same time control end 44 strikes limit switch 47 which is connected to a source of power not shown, and to motor 51. This starts motor 51 driving pinion 50 and lowering rack 49, thereby positioning yoke 48 into slot 46, thus providing a positive lock for the coupling mechanism. When uncoupling the units, motor 51 is started in an opposite direction from an outside power source and switch (not shown), thereby raising yoke 48 permitting actuating rod 42 to move to the right, opening jaws 39 and releasing ball 7a.

Referring now again to FIG. 2, as well as FIG. 3, there is seen also on these figures the control system which I utilize to maintain proper relative buoyancy for submergence between adjacent units on my train. This comprises essentially a combination of a hydraulic and electrical control system. The hydraulic -components are utilized in order to produce a dampening effect which may be needed in the case of rapid changes in submergence as by pitching, etc., of the units, while the electrical components, many of which are not shown since they are of a conventional type, are utilized to energize the ballast pump motors.

Hydraulic system actuating lever 54 is fixedly positioned on the end ofthe tow bar 8 and connects with hydraulic system actuating cylinders 55 through pins 54a. Stationary hollow pistons 56 which are positioned to be in sldeable relation with movable cylinders 55 are connected to hydraulic system pipes 57. Flexible joints which may be of the bellows or similar type 57a are inserted in the pipe lines 57 to compensate for the bending action which the lines 57 will be subjected to by the motion of the cylinders 5S. Hydraulic pipes 57 connect with upper hydraulic main tank 58 and lower hydraulic main tank 60 respectively. These tanks in turn connect with lower hydraulic surge tank 61 and upper hydraulic surge tank 62 respectively. All four tanks are disposed to maintain an air space in their upper portions which permits for compression and expansion of the air as the hydraulic uid changes in level. Switches 62 and 63 are positioned in the upper and lower surge tanks respectively and are connected in the circuit supplying the ballast tank pump motors 13a and 13b.

The operation of this system is now readily evident to those skilled in the art. Whenever tow bar 8 is caused to rise in position along rails 33 due to the forward end of the unit being higher in the water than the after end of the next preceding unit, hydraulic system actuating lever 54 will cause cylinders S5 to move, thus forcing hydraulic lluid which fills the system to move into one surge tank and out of the other, thus actuating switches 62 and 63. Since these are connected through appropriate circuitry (not shown) to the motors 13a and 13b, it will cause pumps 12 and 12b to operate in the appropriate direction to pump sea water into the ballast tanks 11a and 11b, until a proper relative buoyancy between adjacent units is re-established, whereupon the tow bar 8 assumes its horizontal position again, the level of the hydraulic iiuid changes and switches 62 and 63 de-energize the motors. I use two independent systems in this manner to provide duplicate power control systems and consequently greater reliability, as I have mentioned previously in connection with other components and elements of my invention. Of course, switches 62 and 63 are so arranged that when the level of the hydraulic iluid rises in tank 59 and correspondingly lowers in tank 61, the pumps 12a and 12b will rotate in the proper direction to pump ballast from the sea to the tanks. Conversely, when the level in tank 59 drops and that in tank 61 rises simultaneously, which means that the unit is dropping below the one preceding it, the pumps will operate in the opposite direction and pump ballast from the tanks out to sea.

This change in volume of the ballast in the tanks will, of course, be accompanied by a displacement of the air above the surface of the water which in turn will cause a iiow of air into and out of the main compartment through the vents 17a and 17b. Air required for displacement of the water being pumped out of the ballast tanks will be supplied from the air banks 15a and 15b through automatic valves 16a and 16b as described previously. Excess air caused by a rise in the level of the water in the ballast tanks will be vented out through vent 18. Float switches 19a and 19b prevent water in the ballast tanks from rising too high and pouring out of vents 17a and 17b. These switches are interconnected with the ballast pump motors (wiring not shown) in the manner described above.

Rotating motion of tow bar 8 is made possible by the use of a novel liexible water seal 4a mentioned above, which may best be seen by reference to FIG. 4. This comprises essentially two truncated cones which may be made from a flexible plastic, elastomeric, or similar material which is bonded to the forward end 4 and to the cylindrical portion of tow bar 8 to provide a water tight seal for the space required for operation of the bar. Since my 7 vessel is never subjected to deep submergence, this seal need not Ebe of very heavy construction since it will never be subjected to very high pressures. T he tow bar 8 is equipped with stub shafts 8a which may form an integral part thereof. The latter ride in bearings 5 which are tixed- 6 ly positioned on the end of hull 4. This facilitates the rotation of the bar or its pivoting in a vertical plane.

Fore and aft stability of an individual unit is maintained by trim pumps best seen on FIG. 1. Shown there is starboard trim pump 71 connected to trim lines 72 which penetrate port and starboard ballast tank partition 73. Shown in the figure is the starboard pump, a duplicate system being supplied for the port side. Pump rotation in either direction is controlled by a mercury level switch (not shown), whereby ballast may be pumped from the forward to the after tanks and vice-versa to maintain proper fore and aft trim.

A system of control and power supply cables runs between units and connects with the traction units 1a and 1b which also carry the power supply. The cables are arranged for rapid connecting and disconnecting.

I claim:

1. A submersible sea train comprising a plurality of submersible vessels connected together by coupling means, said coupling means comprising:

a spherical member positioned on the outer end of a rigid horizontal shaft extending axially from the outside of one end wall of each of said vessels;

a horizontal cylindrical member pivotally mounted for rotation in a Vertical plane on the opposite end wall of each of said vessels and extending therethrough;

means for effecting a watertight seal between said cylindrical member and said end wall;

movable clamps pivotally mounted on the outer end of said cylindrical member disposed to engage said spherical member of an adjacent one of said vessels of said train;

means for opening and closing said clamps;

a plurality of rollers positioned on the inner end of said cylindrical member;

said rollers being disposed to engage a rail defining an arc of a circle;

said rail being iixedly positioned in each of said vessels;

means for maintaining varying degrees of submergence of said vessels;

means for propelling the vessel at each end of said train through the water.

2. The train of claim 1 in which said vessels are equipped with ballast tanks and communicating electrically driven ballast pumps the improved means for maintaining the degree of submergence of said vessels at a predetermined level comprising:

an actuating lever xedly positioned on the inner end of said cylindrical member;

a hydraulic cylinder pivotally mounted on said lever;

a hollow hydraulic plunger in sldeable relation with said cylinder;

a closed hydraulic main tank;

a closed hydraulic surge tank;

pipe means communicating a hydraulic liuid from said hydraulic cylinder through said hollow plunger to said main tank and from said main tank to said surge tank;

said surge tank disposed to present a variable surface level of said hydraulic uid;

an air pocket in said surge tank above the surface of said lluid;

a pressure switch positioned in said air pocket;

means for electrically connecting said pressure switch and said electrically driven ballast pumps to a source of electrical power;

whereby motion of said actuating lever will control the operation of said ballast pumps and thereby the amount of ballast in said tanks.

3. The train of claim 2 in which the propelling vessel at each end of said train is equipped with adjustable diving planes positioned on the outside of the hulls of said vessels.

4. The train of claim 3 including cylindrical sleeves positioned between successive vessels said sleeves having a diameter slightly greater than that of each vessel and a length slightly greater than the distance between the end walls of adjacent vessels, the periphery of one end of said sleeves being xedly joined to the hull of one vessel whereby resistance to ow of said train through water is reduced while permitting said train to articulate properly.

5. The train of claim 4 including in addition: forward and after trim tanks positioned in each of said vessels; electrically driven trim pumps connected between said trim tanks; electrical means responsive to the inclination of said vessels in a forward and an after direction for energizing said electrically driven trim pumps,

whereby water may be pumped from said forward trim tanks to said after tanks and vice-versa,

thereby maintaining said vessel in a substantially level state.

TRYGVE M References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS BLIX, Primary Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R. 

